This Eduard I-16 was
built, marked, and painted for a type 10 flown during the Spanish Civil War
sometime around 1938. Eduard presents a nice kit in the Weekend Edition.
It is a new tool with finely engraved panel lines, a clear canopy, a decal sheet
for one aircraft, and instructions. The decals represent the Popeye mascot
used by the 4th squadron of the Spanish Republican Air Force. The CM on
the fuselage stands for Caza Mosca or fly hunter as these were known as moscas or
flies by the Republican forces.
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images below to see larger images
The kit went
together quickly but there are several fit issues especially at the wing root on
top, the cowling, and the underside wing to fuselage. In these spots, I
used super glue and Mr. Hobby liquid putty to get a better finish. The
landing gear assembly was nicely detailed but I added some wire to simulate the
line which pulls the gear up. (This was the first monoplane aircraft to
utilize retractable landing gear).
In the cockpit,
there is some detail. The instrument panel is represented with a decal
which is fine because most of the interior is very hard to see once the kit is
built. I used a set of Eduard PE color seat-belts for the harness.
The kit was painted
with Model Master Russian Top side green and Tamiya Light blue. The red
wing tip bands, fuselage band, and rudder banner were all masked off and
airbrushed although the kit does provide a decal for the rudder. I chose a
Squadron crystal clear canopy for a replacement since the kit canopy cracked
while I was masking it. It is quite delicate so use care. Eduard was
kind enough to send me a replacement as well. Great customer service
there.
The decals were thin
and went on very well and later I used MMP weathering powders to simulate
exhaust smoke, highlight panels, and for other detailing.
In all, a more
experienced modeler can build this kit up quickly. Masking the small
canopy, building the landing gear, and filling and sanding gaps took up most of
my time. Still, I would recommend this kit to any Spanish Civil War
enthusiast.
Douglas Fede
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